Disney+ & Hulu Merging Into One Streaming Platform?

Turns out, there is a strong possibility that Hulu and Disney+ could merge into a single streaming platform. What does this mean for individuals who have both a Disney+ and a Hulu subscription? When is this merge going to happen? Keep reading for all the details.

Disney already owns 66 percent of Hulu

Presently, individuals have the option of bundling a Hulu and a Disney+ subscription. This option is a possibility because Disney owns 66 percent of Hulu. At a Media and Telecom conference this week, CEO Bob Iger explained that both Hulu and Disney+ are very successful streaming platforms. He, however, doesn’t feel like there is a huge difference between the type of content on Hulu and the type of content on Disney+.

Screenshot - Disney+ — Screenshot – Disney+

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Comcast presently owns the other 33 percent of Hulu. Comcast, however, also owns NBCUniversal and Peacock. The outlet goes on to confirm that by January of next year, Comcast can use its put options to require Disney to buy Hulu outright. However, Disney can also use its put options to require Comcast to sell their 33 percent stake. So, either way, the stars are perfectly aligned for Disney to buy Comcast’s 33 percent of Hulu and become the sole owner of the streaming service.

When — and if — that happens, CEO Bob Iger just isn’t sure he sees enough differences in the type of content on Disney+ and the type of content on Hulu for the two to remain as two separate streaming services.

What does this mean for Hulu?

If all of this plays out in the direction it appears to be moving in, all of the content owned by Hulu would be absorbed into Disney+’s streaming library. Now, content that Comcast owns and streams on Hulu’s platform would likely be pulled back and added to Peacock’s streaming library instead.

Looking at the timeline, it doesn’t look as if this is a situation where Hulu is going to cease to exist tomorrow or in the near future. But, in the next year or two, it does sound like Hulu is a streaming platform that could be phased out as the content gets absorbed into Disney+ and/or Peacock.

Unfortunately, Disney could see this as an opportunity to raise their prices because of the absorption of new content.

What do you think about the possibility of Disney+ absorbing Hulu? Let us know in the comments down below. And, keep coming back for more streaming news.